Kolkata: Rescuers, including Army personnel are working to extricate around 18 workers trapped under debris after a godown collapsed in the Taratala area of Kolkata on Wednesday afternoon.
Three persons have been killed and several others injured.
West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari reached the accident site along with a few ministers from his cabinet.
“All the agencies are working together. We have rescued 21 persons of which three have died,” he told the media. About 18 persons are still trapped inside, contact has been established between them and rescue personnel, he said.
“Four columns of the Army have been swiftly launched for search and rescue operation in the Taratala neighbourhood today following the sudden collapse of an under construction godown,” the Army’s Eastern Command posted on X.
“Deploying immediately after a distress call from the civil administration, a specialized team of Army rescue personnel, specialist Engineers and Medical personnel are assisting in rescue efforts. In coordination with NDRF, SDRF and Kolkata Police, the Army personnel are sparing no efforts to find several people believed to be trapped under heavy concrete debris,” it said.
“Senior Army Officers are coordinating the rescue efforts. Eastern Command prays for the safety and well-being of the trapped citizens and assures that no efforts will be spared to save them,” the post added.
According to survivors, 50-60 people were working at the site when the collapse occurred.
The godown was being built by a private party on land owned by Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata (SMPK) at B/2 Transport Depot Road.
SMPK said that it mobilised cranes and gas cutters to the site for rescue and debris clearance. Its ambulances and medical teams have also reached the spot.
According to the Port authority, it had let out a plot of about 6,689 sqm to M/s Behera Brothers on August 1, 2024, for setting up a multi-storied warehouse and cold storage facility. The lease agreement is for 30 years.
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